The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1) in Aussie Readers

May 09, 2018 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aa-ce, australian-author, kindle, mystery-crime-thriller, ireland-or-irish-authors, fiction, aa

4★
“The truism that a lawyer should never ask a question to which he did not already know the answer did not apply to detectives. If anything the opposite rule applied. You had a plan going into every interrogation, but sometimes it was best to follow your instinct,”

Ireland’s loss is Australia’s gain! Author Dervla McTiernan and her family have migrated to Perth, Western Australia. Although this debut novel is set in cold, rainy Ireland, one character did ‘flee’ for many years to the Kimberley, a ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, 5000-books, net-galley, first-in-a-series, suspense, read-on-kindle, arc, own-read, crime, 2018-release

Surgical resident Aisling Conroy was happy with her life. Her desire to become a surgeon was within her grasp; her boyfriend Jack Blake was someone she knew she would spend the rest of her life with. The love they shared was deep and real. But after a long night in A&E, breakfast with Jack then waking late that afternoon to find Jack gone - not returning home overnight either - the knock on the door the next morning was a devastating shock. Aisling would not believe what the garda were telling h ...more

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Mar 17, 2018 Josh rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime, own, read_2018, review_books

This police procedural set in mostly in Galway, Ireland introduces new series protagonist Cormac Reilly; a smart and dedicated Guard who isn't afraid to go against the grain to solve a case - even if it means investigating his colleagues.

The Ruin is a story of two tales intertwined by murder and circumstance. When Jake Blake goes missing, his partner, Aisling Conroy fears she's lost her loved one following the discovery of her pregnancy, however, it's not a matter of cold feet, with something m ...more

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Sep 08, 2024 Catsalive rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aww, 2024

A very good police thriller if a little light on the procedural side. The ultimate culprit was very clever & may just have got away with it if they had held their nerve. I'm not sure Cormac Reilly showed to advantage in this tale, he didn't show many signs of being a wonder boy from an elite Dublin squad, although he did come across as a copper with integrity - except, what was the form that had people believing he'd be stupid enough to sleep with a suspect? ... seemed a bit incongruous to me.

Th ...more

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Aug 27, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-author

Dervla McTiernan’s debut novel has become a bestseller in Australia and Ireland, and was named an Amazon book of the year in the USA. The Ruin is a police procedural, Introducing Cormac Reilly, a detective in the An Garda Síochána.

Having spent most of his career with Ireland’s elite Garda units in Dublin, Cormac Reilly is finding his new appointment at a Garda Station in Galway disappointing, his new colleagues are unwelcoming, and his boss has assigned him nothing but cold cases since he has ar Dervla McTiernan’s debut novel has become a bestseller in Australia and Ireland, and was named an Amazon book of the year in the USA. The Ruin is a police procedural, Introducing Cormac Reilly, a detective in the An Garda Síochána.

Having spent most of his career with Ireland’s elite Garda units in Dublin, Cormac Reilly is finding his new appointment at a Garda Station in Galway disappointing, his new colleagues are unwelcoming, and his boss has assigned him nothing but cold cases since he has arrived. Cormac is puzzled when one of those cases involves the first call he ever attended as a rookie twenty years before, the overdose of a young mother, who left behind two neglected children, fifteen year old Maude and five year old Jake.

Aisling is devastated when two Garda officers arrive at her door and inform her that her partner is dead, an anonymous caller reported that Jack jumped from O’Brien’s Bridge and his body has been discovered downstream. In shock and feeling guilty about a recent disagreement, Aisling doesn’t question the verdict of suicide, but his sister Maude refuses to accept the possibility, and is determined to prove it despite the gardai’s refusal to investigate.

The Ruin unfolds from the perspectives of a Cormac and Aisling as the past and present collide. McTiernan develops an intelligent, layered plot that delves into issues such as child abuse, addiction, abortion and corruption. The questions surrounding Jack’s death are intriguing and I enjoyed the twists and turns the case took.

Cormac is almost unique in crime fiction - a male detective who isn’t a single, alcoholic, depressive. McTiernan only seems to provide a general sense of who Reilly is though, as a detective he is hardworking, ethical, and impatient with office politics, as a man, he is generally amiable and thoughtful , and there are hints of an interesting backstory related to his partner, for whom he relocated to Galway.
I expect as the series progresses we will learn more about Reilly’s new colleagues, many of whom seem to be hiding secrets. The characters specifically relating to the plot are well rounded and believable. Aisling and Maude are sympathetic, and the neighbour, Mrs. Keane, gave me the creeps.

McTiernan strikes just the right balance between description and detail, creating vivid settings. The pace is great, with each chapter moving the story forward, culminating in an tense conclusion.

The Ruin is a gritty, compelling, atmospheric novel, deserving of the praise it has received. The Ruin’s sequel, The Scholar was released in February 2019, and the third novel in the series, No Good Turn is Due for publication in 2020.
...more

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May 14, 2018 Lia added it · review of another edition

Shelves: female-authors, available-cnl, australian, borrowbox, debut

A debut thriller which was better than the sum of its individual parts.
Pacy story, interesting characters and a plausible yet surprising wrap up.

Read on a 6hour car trip home and well worth the time and energy involved.

If you liked Tana French this might be a good replacement.

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Jan 13, 2020 Alan Baxter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, crime

Really enjoyed this one. There's one physical act right near the end that isn't possible without really traumatic injury, probably death, and that threw me out a bit, but otherwise a stellar crime thriller. ...more

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Oct 10, 2018 Joanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, 2018, police-procedural

Really looking forward to reading Cormac Reilly #2!

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Mar 30, 2019 Tracey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, fiction, mystery, australian, 2019

Young Garda Cormac Reilly in 1993 is ordered to attend on his own, to a possible case of domestic abuse. What he discovers is a teenage girl and her young brother and there deceased mother. For the local police at the time the woman is a known alcoholic and cause of death is easy to determine and even easier to push to the side. Jump forward 20 years and Cormac Reilly has built a successful career and has decided for love to change cities and move position. In his new position, he becomes quickl ...more

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Sep 15, 2019 Tango rated it really liked it · review of another edition

With a gripping opening chapter I found this very easy to get into and read it quickly. It was well structured and well written with a likeable protagonist. I enjoyed this and will look out for the next one.

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Sep 20, 2018 Jyv rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery, whodunnit

A bit slow I thought. It didn't help that I was reading three other books at the same time, one of which demanded my attention more. I would have given it a three-and-a-half.
(What really annoyed me was the use of the word "asshole" instead of "arsehole" - a small thing perhaps, but I'm constantly annoyed at the insidious way that Americanisms creep into British novels.) ...more

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Jun 02, 2024 Imogen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

*3.5

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Sep 04, 2024 Nikki Sims-Chilton rated it liked it · review of another edition

While I enjoyed this book there was a lot going on and I occasionally lost track of who was who and what was what. It might be the case of me having a busy mind currently. May be a good holiday book when you have time to focus.

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